Levi Coffin had just moved to Newport, Indiana, an ideal location in which to help fugitive slaves. Despite being born and raised in the slave state of North Carolina, Coffin was an adamant opponent of slavery. In 1826 he and his wife welcomed to their home and aided their first fugitives. Word of his help spread, and he soon "became extensively known to the friends of the slaves."

In this passage, taken from Reminiscences of Levi Coffin, the abolitionist describes his arrival in Indiana.